Billy Taylor, Visiting Artist Lecture 1983

During this lecture at Skowhegan, Billy Taylor draws from his diverse career as a pianist, composer, recording artist, arranger, conductor, actor, author, teacher, radio and TV star. Throughout the lecture, Taylor plays classical music and jazz for the participants. He states that jazz is the most democratic of all art forms for him. Jazz allows Taylor the opportunity to say things he can’t put into words. Taylor also gives a brief history about jazz to the participants, telling them how jazz is an oral tradition that came out of slavery and is tied to the arts in Africa. Traveling has also been a huge influence on his development as a musician. Taylor talks about visiting Pakistan and India in particular, and how watching musicians remix Indian Classical with jazz inspired his work. He then tells the participants about the history of blues music, and how it came out of a secular tradition with roots in Mississippi. All of these stories and histories have influenced his career as an artist and musician.